


Magi's Tumblr Mumblings

by SilentMagi



Category: Original Work
Genre: Aliens, Androids, Angels, Based on a Tumblr Post, Creamsicle - Freeform, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Demons, Dysphoria, Entrapment, Fantasy, Grim Reaper - Freeform, Heaven, Hell, I worry for my sanity., Inspired by Art, Introspection, Links in specific chapters, Living objects, Love Potion/Spell, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Original Character, Petty Arguments, Post-Apocalypse, Psychological Horror, Queen - Freeform, Robots, Sadism, Science Fiction, Self-Hatred, Shipping, The courage to choose.., They are awesome works and their creators are wonderful, Tough choices, ancient tumblr memes, bad study habits, based on a comic, check them out, clockwork doll, gloating, gynoids, illicit potion use, improper use of magical defenses, inspired by a song, lame puns abound, power, self-image issues, servant - Freeform, space travel, wind-up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-02 04:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 21,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8651692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentMagi/pseuds/SilentMagi
Summary: These are the story snippets and little pieces that I have posted on tumblr. If you enjoy something, leave a comment. I might be revisiting some things, so letting me know there's an interest helps me a lot.





	1. Awakening

It had been three-hundred seventy-six cycles since she’d been awakened to a world void of life save her own. All her tests showed that once life had flourished on this planet, but there was none around currently which did not properly run through her processors. Why would a planet such as this one be suddenly void of life?

Well she should clarify that there was no animal life, simply plant life and microbial life forms that held each other in a steady balance of growth and destruction. The remains of once advanced biological life were scattered and disrupted by intrusive plant life, but she could still work out that the lifeforms had a shape similar to her own. There were ones closer to her own form, with gentle curves and supple strength instead of the larger, more muscular servant race as she dubbed them.

In the two-hundred thirteen cycles of the planet around the nearest star, which she marked a cycle as being three-hundred sixty-five and a quarter rotations of the planet she’d awakened on, she had searched the entire surface of the landmasses and performed a cursory scan of the water revealing still no living life forms of which she found only remains.

She had not even found another pod like the one she had awakened in, indicating that she was truly alone on this planet. It was another cycle before her programming alerted her to the need to have some form of companionship, for the preservation of her data’s integrity and security of her mission. She’d spent the next twenty cycles using her pod’s sensory systems and databanks to plot out a fellow droid whom she could continue to explore the planet with. Having taken a cue from the previous pinnacle society, she forwent the more violence prone servant race, to create another like her, but different enough to distinguish from one another.

It was here that she ran into a problem with the creation of her companion. The process of converting the raw material would be short, however the only deposits of them were spread far and wide, meaning that she had to search for them and bring them back.

Once again she had set to her task with no complaints, only some burning need to complete the tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible. During this time she couldn’t help but marvel at how each new layer of her companion was being constructed in her vat-bed. This mission had taken the second longest time, being just under one-hundred forty-one cycles. But she found her processors signaling enjoyment as the body of her companion continued to take shape before her eyes every-time she delivered a new load of supplies to the pod’s processing machinery.

When it was completed, her companion laid before her eyes, a mere empty-shell awaiting the spark of life to be given to her. But first she needed to form the neural architecture to make her companion awaken and function properly in this wonderful paradise that she had found the two of them on.

That had been one cycle ago, and now she was finally ready to embed the programming into her companion and welcome her into the world, into which they would make a new civilization in harmony with the plants and microbial lifeforms that already existed.

Leaning in close she marveled at what she had created through her own hard work. In a word: it was beautiful.

The short brown scalp covering would flutter nicely in any breeze, activating the sensory net built inside them to atmospheric conditions. Those lovely electric blue eyes would be able to spot even the smallest of microbes, allowing them to study them further. Her chest mounted battery packs had to be a marked amount larger due to the inferior quality of the material used to fuel her own cells. And instead of her own pale skin, she was granted with a more earthen hued skin to grant her better heat diffusion properties in the warmer climates. In short, she was the culmination of all the pod’s databanks and her own experiences could create.

Now all she had to do was to grant it life.

Smiling sweetly, she leaned in closer to the face of her companion and pressed her lips to the still form, connecting the data terminals found inside together, feeding the core programming and the seeds of what she had dubbed as a personality matrix into the form. As the data downloaded, she couldn’t help but marvel at the way the body reacted. Warmth spread through it as quickly as those mountain fires she had observed, the skin tightened to the frame ever so slightly, before shifting smoothly to reach up and touch her face with the tactile sensors on the hands.

The final act before the download completed was for her companion to open her eyes, revealing sharp and focused eyes that locked with her own. As they parted the awakening sequence, she spoke softly as her vocalization suite had been unused for these many hundred cycles. “Welcome to the world Deuce.”

“Thank you for waiting for me Prima…” the newly dubbed Deuce answered as she pushed herself up off the vat-bed and experimentally tested out her motivators and impelling devices. Despite Prima’s many trials she was still nervous as Deuce stood up and took a few tentative steps towards her. “I am fully functional and ready to build our future together with you.”

Prima took Deuce’s hand in her own and nodded warmly before they strode into the driving rain that had fallen on the area for the past three planetary revolutions. They had work to do, and even as the precipitation slowed and the atmospheric collections of moisture parted to let the star’s lights through, she could not help but feel that they could do it.

Together: They could do anything.


	2. Creamsicle - On Polarity and Relationships.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long ago on tumblr there was a meme going around about two girls, known as Normal-girl and Other-girl. This was taken over by shippers, and I was sucked into the short-term insanity known as Creamsicle. I still can't believe I wrote this.

Snowflake sighed as she watched her project partner finally stroll into the library all of an hour late. She didn’t know why the teacher was being so sadistic sticking her with Sunglasses, after everything that girl had done to her it was like giving a shark a nice, slightly plump bit of steak to feast upon.

 

To make it worse, despite all the horrid and vicious things the girl had said to her, Snowflake couldn’t fight the simple little fact that whenever she saw Sunglasses, her heart began to thunder in her chest. If anyone had noticed the rising color in her cheeks, she would just play it off as thinking about a Shuichi and Yuki fanfic she was working on. Once they left her alone though, she’d look over at Sunglasses’s parting form and sigh.

 

No, this wasn’t feeding time for the shark, this was pure torment for the steak.

 

“Hey, like sorry, but I got distracted by this guy inviting to me this party or something, and I had to turn him down, and then one of my girlfriends called and I had to take the call…” Sunglasses started as she finally recSnowflakenized the glare being leveled her way as one of annoyance. Slipping her sunglasses up into her blond hair she settled down on the other side of the table and blew a bubble with her gum. “So… like what are we doing?”

 

“We are going to do a creative writing project…” Snowflake pointed out angrily as she pulled out a fresh notebook, laying it directly over the one she’d been working on while waiting for Sunglasses. She hoped the popular girl wouldn’t ask about the other notebook since it had a rather embarrassing femslash story building about a Galinda and Elphaba from Wicked she had promised one of her readers she’d work on.

 

Unfortunately, there was no such luck as Sunglasses reached out and pulled the lower notebook over. “What’s this? Did you start without me?”

 

“NO!” Snowflake shouted in a panic as she scrambled to try and get the notebook back. “That’s just something I’m working on for myself. Don’t read it!”

 

“Why not? Aren’t you going to show your little friends online?” Sunglasses asked, as she leaned back, reading the first couple lines. “Hey… this is like, really good…”

 

“No… it’s not done yet, I still have to proof it and get it checked over, so just give it back…” Olive tried going an alternative route. “You know how some people get about projects like this…”

 

“Oh, I do… But… there’s one thing wrong…” Sunglasses pointed out as she handed back the notebook with a sigh. “Your describing the kiss like you’ve never had one… it’s totally lame…”

 

The notebook slipped between Snowflake’s suddenly numb fingers as the words struck her deep. Yeah, lame. That was what it was, to be in college and have never been kissed. So what if all the guys went for the pretty stuck up blonde across the table from her, it didn’t make her any less of a woman, did it? So what if she’d rather sit in and watch the latest anime instead of going out clubbing? That was her choice, wasn’t it? Sniffing back tears she snatched up the notebooks and stuffed them into her bag without looking. “We can start tomorrow, I don’t feel good.”

 

Now Sunglasses was one that most would assume didn’t care about anything but the next party, but she had a knack for knowing when someone was upset. It was part of the reason she wanted to be in a career where she could help people. “Hey Snowflake? What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing!” Snowflake snapped hoisting her bag onto her shoulder and rushing out of the library, tears finally dripping out of her eyes as the emotions that had started a storm brewing inside her ripped its way out. She just had to get out of there, away from the girl that had everything she wanted with just a whimper.

 

Again her luck seemed against her as she found that Sunglasses had chased her out of the library and was now cornering her in front of her dorm. “Hey, c’mon, I know I can be a real bi- well you know… but I want to help… I promise nothing that you tell me will be found out by others.”

 

Snowflake looked up at the taller girl timidly, feeling her heart thundering again as she knew the tanned beauty wasn’t going to go away. “N-not out here…” the nerdy girl finally answered, holding up the keys to her dorm. “Inside… my roommate went home for the weekend… we won’t disturb anyone.”

 

As the two of them entered into the main room of the suite, Snowflake almost died as she realized she’d left out all of her anime figurines. Moving quickly she began to put them away as fast as possible, hoping to delay the talk about what was bothering her. “Sorry about the mess, but I was cleaning them and they needed to sit out to dry…”

 

“Hey, this one’s kinda cute…” Sunglasses whispered as she leaned over Snowflake’s back and plucked up the Kiyone Makibi figurine that she’d spent several hours working on. It was nearly show perfect. “This is from one of those cartoon shows they showed on CN before it sucked…”

 

“Anime,” Snowflake corrected automatically before blushing and looking away. “I had to make that one because they don’t sell her in the states… Mihoshi just didn’t look right without her…”

 

“I see,” the popular girl answered with a small smile as she put it down far more care than Snowflake had ever expected. “Now… what’s wrong? I didn’t mean to make you cry over just commenting about your story… I thought you writers were used to criticism or whatever…”

 

“It wasn’t about the story…” Snowflake answered after a moment’s thought, hiding behind her bangs. “It’s… about the other part…”

 

“Other part?” the blonde asked as she tried to remember what she’d said, before the light went on in her mind. “You haven’t been kissed?!”

 

“Like you’re so surprised…” the nerdy girl snapped as she pushed her way towards the center of the room. Feeling the warmth of Sunglasses against her back, with those two ample assets pressed firmly upon her, was too much of a distraction. “What? You didn’t expect me to have heard your little snide comments about me never having a boyfriend? That I was ‘just a dork’? No, that would never occur to you while you’re having the time of your life on your parent’s money!”

 

A few deep breaths gave the normally shy girl time to worry about her neighbors overhearing, when she noticed a change in the taller woman. Apparently something she had said stung, as the look on her face wasn’t the usual happy-times smile, nor was it the nasty curled lip of the gossip. No, this was the stunned look of someone that had just been belted in the face by something unpleasant. “S-sunglasses, I…”

 

“No… you’re right… I did say a lot of mean things about you…” Sunglasses cut in brokenly as she blotted her eyes with a tissue. “You have it right in more ways than you know… but… this isn’t about me… this is about you. You need to know what a kiss feels like to write your story…”

 

“What?!” Snowflake asked in complete and utter shock as she found the tanned woman striding towards her purposefully. A moment later, she was pinned to the wall between the taller girl’s arms, staring at the lip gloss coated lips as they began speaking again.

 

“Yes… this is just like that little scene…” Sunglasses whispered as she paused. “The haughty popular girl pinning in the submissive little recluse… and then…”

 

Whatever thought might have occurred to Snowflake about how this so wasn’t what was in her fanfic went flying out the window as a pair of tender, hungry, passionate, and warm lips pressed against hers. The feelings that were overwhelming her were impossible to describe for her, as she received her first ever kiss. This was something all her anime, manga, and games had never prepared her for. As it ended, and the taller woman pulled away with a warm smile on her face there was only one word that escaped the nerdy girl’s lips.

 

“W…why?” she asked haltingly as she tried to figure out what was going on.

 

“Like didn’t you know? We’re like magnets… opposites attract,” Sunglasses answered before pressing her lips against Snowflake’s once again, this one even better than the first. As her knees gave way underneath her, the nerdy girl could only hope that those hands she felt rubbing against her were going to support her on the way down, and that this wasn’t going to be the end.


	3. Captured Rogue

Fortune favored the bold: this the young thief knew.

Fortune favored the prepared: this too the thief knew to be true.

That was probably why she outright refused to believe she had been captured so easily. Her plan to steal into the witch’s keep and make off with some item of hers to show the others at the guild had certainly been bold and daring. So there was no lacking in fortune’s favor there. Nor had she gone in unprepared. Nearly three months of planning and observation had gone into this single job. So she had to wonder as the enchanted chains dragged her along; where had she gone wrong?

Had the necklace of magical detection been overwhelmed and shorted out? Not likely, since it had alerted her to many traps before and after her capture.

Had she missed a physical trigger somewhere? This was also unlikely since there had been no audible, nor physical indicators to clue her into such mechanical means of snaring. And she’d always had among the best ears the thieves guild ever had.

She doubted her guild mates had sold her out, as the Code would never allow that. Beyond the protection of the Code, there was the small fact that she hadn’t told a soul about her target. She had wanted so badly to have the bragging rights and to see the look of outright shock on her handler’s smug, bloated, ugly face. Sadly, that little lapse in judgment in favor of her pride meant that the guild wouldn’t come to try and save her.

After all this was an unsanctioned mission and she wasn’t high enough in the guild to garner that type of protection on such a mission. She also knew the guard wouldn’t be the ones to punish her. Seeing as they saw the keep as the witch’s sovereign territory, they recognized her sole rule over the area within its walls.

In a way her emotions were torn over this fact. On the one hand, this meant that whatever mistake she had made wouldn’t reach the ears of the guild, and she wouldn’t have to risk the punishment of losing either of her hands courtesy of the guard. She happened to enjoy having both of them attached. Thank you very much.

However, on the other hand she didn’t know what the witch had planned for her, and the stories that she had heard were coming unbidden to her mind in droves. Was it worth keeping her hands if she was turned into a newt, sacrificed to a dark god, or imprisoned in a body of stone? That was the one she feared most, being unable to move, forever stuck staring out as the world passed. Conscious but unable to move, to change her view, just waiting and preying for the sweet release of either being turned into rubble, or freed for whatever other fate awaited her.

In another way she preferred that one, since it wouldn’t mar her features, but instead preserve them for all to see.

Even still, she had to try and get free. So she set about trying to get away from the chains before they brought her before their mistress of fell power. Squirming a little bit into the inexorable pull, she inspected the solid metal bracer-like cuffs holding her arms. They were tight to her skin, and smooth as polished silver. The only marks she could find were where they met the chains, and that’s where she saw the lynch pin holding them into place. If she could just work that loose…

Flexing her arms, she grunted in annoyance as they resisted her attempts to bring the two arms closer together, the same when she tried to reach towards her feet to work loose the pins there. But that would not deter her from making her escape. Slowly, ever so painfully slowly she managed to work her head over towards the cuff on her right arm.

Getting there, she managed to snag the pin with her teeth and begin the process of working it out of the connection. If she could free her one arm, she’d be able to work on the other three points and make her escape.

The pin came out with a pop, and the chain itself vanished from view, causing her to worry more since now the witch knew she was working herself free. Reaching over, she found that it seemed almost easier to free her left arm than her right, as within a heartbeat of catching on the pin, it was out and the chain dissolving into mist. Even faster were her legs freed of the chains, allowing her to regain her footing and run for the exit.

In her rush, she never once questioned that it seemed almost too easy to escape the chains. Nor did she take the moment to notice that her escape still hadn’t raised an alarm with the witch. Instead she was fleeing as fast as possible, snatching up a chalice off the hall table which was marked by the witch’s emblem and didn’t show any signs of being magical.

Originally she’d passed over the plain chalice since it was made of pewter and wouldn’t be a major score for her. However, right now she could salvage her reputation by hiding the cuffs until she could get them removed, and showing off the chalice to the others. Who knows, maybe the cuffs would be a mark of honor, proving that she had earned her escape.

Getting to the window she had entered through, she didn’t bother with slowing down to climb out. Instead at three steps away from the window she sprang and leaped out the opening and into the cool night air. Landing in a roll she continued her flight towards the depths of the city and away from the witch’s keep, where only the foolish would dare tread.

If she had but looked over her shoulder, she’d have seen a silhouette in a window at the top of the keep watching her while stroking a similarly outlined cat. Her ears might have been able to pick up the soft whisper from the form, had they not been thundering with her own heartbeat at her daring escape.

“She will come back to me kitty… they always do…”


	4. Between Heaven and Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between Heaven and Hell there is two things: Endless enmity, and Earth. But sometimes one can help overcome the other.

It was cold, it was always cold in this little town in the middle of nowhere, but it wasn’t like she wanted to be anywhere warm. Taking a deep drag from the cigarette that hung from her lips she reflected upon what had led her to standing outside of this school in northern Japan. It was strange, but despite how odd she appeared none of the normal humans even so much as blinked an eye when she and her companion roared into town on her motorcycle.

 

They may have been ‘gaijin’ to the people of the town, but they accepted her and her young charge as warmly as the wind blowing out of the north was cold. Pulling her leather jacket tighter across her shoulders, she let out the cancerous smoke into that self-same wind and let her mind drift. While she was out here waiting, she often found she would pull out the golden ring that she had thought of throwing away countless times as it was just a bitter reminder of the life she had turned away from.

 

Speaking of which, she looked down to where it was twirling on her fingers lazily, the smoke drifted up to obscure her view. There was just something fitting about seeing it obscured in such a manner. Looking up as a bell rang, she smiled as a small girl came running out of the school waving happily. Dropping the cigarette from her mouth, she ground it under the heel of her boots. “Hey there love, how was classes?” she asked as the smaller female hugged her tightly.

 

“Boooooring, I missed you Astria, why do I have to go?” the girl whined piteously as she wound her spade-tipped tail around the arm twirling the damnable gold band. “Why can’t I just stay with you? I know how to cook, clean, and all that stuff… I’d be a great wife for you!”

 

Astria slowly shook her head as she reached up and stroked the girl’s head, letting her thumb rub lightly over the girl’s tiny horns. Her smile turned predatory as a tiny shiver ran up the girl’s body. “I told you, you’re too young to do that. Let me worry about that sort of stuff and just enjoy your life here.”

 

“Can we take a bath tonight?” the girl asked innocently as they turned to leave the school, Astrid smiling as she flicked out the gold ring which transformed into her motorcycle. “We’ll see… but first dinner, I picked up some nice fish and a recipe to make a local dish.”

 

“YAY!” the short demon giggled as she clapped her silky white hands together before clasping her love’s own rough and tanned hand and nearly dragging her to the waiting bike. “Let’s go!”

 

Astrid laughed softly at the young girl’s exuberance knowing that despite her demonic heritage the only sin upon her was that she fell in love with the wrong person. Turning her eye skyward she sent out a mental finger to the busybodies she knew would be watching this town eventually. They were here, and they were happy, why should it matter to anyone else what happened?

 

Settling on her bike she smiled as she felt her smaller girlfriend hugging her tightly from behind, just as she had taught her that first ride. Spreading out the wings she had folded tight against the jacket she savored the feel of the wind rushing through the feathers for a moment before taking off. While her girlfriend might be pure as snow, she had a list miles long against her, and if she had anything to say about it, there would be many more to come.

 

Especially when she finally got around to broaching that final line she held to preserve Luna’s innocence. They had done so much already, but neither of them were ready for that final barrier to be taken just yet. Revving up her motor she peeled out, getting a squeal of terror out of her little lover. For someone who had lived all her life in Hell, the girl was surprisingly easy to scare. Deep down, Astrid had to admit that she loved it and wanted to be more than a little selfish with it.

 

After all, they had eternity to be lovers, why rush past the fun part?


	5. Melting Ice: Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter of a story that has gone through like ten or eleven different versions before I posted this chapter. I think it was an interesting experiment.

“Of all the impudent acts!” a harsh voice snapped at a kneeling sunshine blonde girl, her sky blue eyes studying the fur-lined white leather boots of the queen before her. “You dared to spy upon me while I bathed…”

 

If there was one thing colder than the weather outside, it was the anger of the queen currently looming over the form of her captive. She had taken her off the streets, given her the dress she now wore, and she had repaid her by spying. To think that a lowly maid had dared to think she could break the rules and get away with it. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

 

“My queen, I-” the maid started, only for the queen to tune her out and study the girl. She wasn’t that comely, considering the harsh life of the northern lands. In fact if she had her sunshine yellow hair loose of that braid it was in, the look of fear in her sky blue eyes would have been downright addictive. Now she remembered the girl, she had been given the job of maid due to her being the polar opposite of the queen herself.

 

Where the queen had snow white hair, and blue eyes so pale they almost appeared white, the girl was an example of sunshine and warmth. The queen had long ago stripped herself of innocence and kindness, qualities that practically shone off the girl knelt before her.

 

Smiling darkly, the queen reached into a small pouch that hung off the side of her throne, grabbing out a single orb of clearest crystal. This act drew a gasp of fear from the girl who seemed ready to shrink away and plead for her freedom. Yet, something held her firm. It seemed as though she had accepted her fate, and was only waiting for the queen to enact her punishment.

 

“You know what this is, I see…” the queen purred out softly as she turned the orb in her hand slowly, letting the light play off it. These were beautiful and expensive, but she had found them to be worth every penny. This way her castle didn’t need deep cavernous dungeons, nor soaring towers in a land where the ground couldn’t support them. Instead she had small, portable prisons which could only be opened with the right spell, something that she had taught to no-one else.

 

“Y-yes my queen…” the maid offered with a terrified tremor to her voice. She knew what it was, for the orbs of others lined the hallways that she cleaned daily, each and every one a picture of submission and terror. She knew because each of those orbs had a plaque mounted on the wall under their holder listing their crimes. The unbreakable crystal orbs were magically reinforced and that left them the perfect prison for murderers, cultists, revolutionists, and various other criminals to be marked as examples for the citizenry under the queen’s domain.

 

“That’s right… it’s time in the orb for you…” the queen stated as the maid slumped in defeat. “I wonder how long it shall be… A week? A year? Or maybe I should just leave you in there for all time? Wouldn’t you like that? Being eternally beautiful and on display for all to see?”

 

There it was, the cringe of despair that she wanted to see, the very twinge that would make the capture perfect. Reaching out she lifted the girl’s head up with a long and deft finger, before lowering the ball until it touched her forehead. In a tiny flash of light, the girl disappeared from before her, and into the crystal. Lifting it up to see her look of hopelessness and despair, it came as a shock to the queen that instead that the figure bound inside held out her arms welcomingly, and her eyes were soft and warm.

 

A look of surprise crossed her face as she reverently lowered the orb onto a waiting stand. There was something unsettling about the acceptance of the pose, and as she strode away to resume her seat on the fur lined throne, she couldn’t help but wonder what it was. The placement of the orb had left the young maid watching her silently, with that same warm, open smile.

 

Forcing herself to turn her gaze away from her watcher for the next twenty-four hours she studied the darkening black spider web on her arms. They grew darker every time she used her magic, and had at first scared her into nearly giving up her powers entirely. However, that was before she noticed the looks of fear and respect the icons of power garnered her.

 

They would continue to serve their purpose of showing others that without a doubt, she was the queen and more than able to defend herself and her lands in times of need. She needed to be strong, merciless, and imposing for the hardened people of these northern wastes to respect her. She lacked the musculature of most of them, but what she lacked there she made up for with her magic and mind.

 

Her musings were interrupted when she realized that it was quiet in the castle. There was no noise of life, no marching of the guards, reaching out she was just about to ring the bell to summon her servants when the heavy doors across the hall from her slammed open. There in the center was a figure wearing gleaming plate armor, his sword drawn and pointed at her. “In the name of Solist the Life Bringer, I have come to vanquish you and break your tyrannical hold on this land!”


	6. Reawakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sequel chapter in the same universe as the first one.

Unit 4444 was in her opinion nearly the pinnacle of four production cycles of unit development, having been modeled to near perfection after Unit 0001, or more commonly designated as Prima. She was precisely 1 meter and six centimeters tall, with a lovely set of dark brown heat diffusers on her cranial component which she generally wore up into a smart swirl design that maximized the surface area. This was one of the few acceptable aesthetic choices she allowed herself, for it wasn’t as though she ran hot like some of the Lost Zeros. Instead she justified it because the archive enclosure in which she worked tended to be significantly hotter than the surrounding areas.

That it increased her resemblance to Prima was immaterial to her processors, or so she protested to her acquaintance in the Wilderness and Ruin Exploration division whenever she would bring it up. As she passed a statue of Prima and Deuce, she paused to let her ocular scanners linger over the greatest difference between her and Prima. Prima’s sleek and elegant form held battery packs which they were unable to reproduce, and thus she was always considerably thinner than any model yet created. Looking down at her own battery packs she wondered about the odd placement before her programming began pointing out her form was already optimized and the placement couldn’t be altered. Shrugging it off she continued on her way towards the filling station where she could supplement the energy collected by the solar panels in her pale skin.

All in all, this period of daylight was very enjoyable. She felt that the only thing that could ruin it would be the arrival of her overly friendly acquaintance calling out that detestable alternative designation she had been given. Unit 4888 couldn’t seem to understand that every fiber of her being rebelled at that moniker and refused to call her anything else, even after threatening to up her sensors to maximum and then dragging her through the obsidian shard field beneath the nearest dormant volcano.

“HEY QUADS!” the very voice she had been dreading rang out loudly, causing her skin to flush even though her sensory suite indicated that there was no spike in temperature. Looking up, she found Unit 4888 two levels up, preparing to make a descent. Having spent many solar cycles trying to avoid her, 4444 knew that it was going to be impossible and processed that the best course of action was to simply await whatever annoyance was to be had today.

A moment after she paused, her sensors indicated the ground effect of the pressure boosters on 4888’s feet causing a minor disturbance in the area. The taller model liked to hover around on her boosters, despite the increased energy drain they caused on her reserves, something that annoyed the archival unit to no end. It wasn’t even that she often spent her recharge and defragmentation periods letting her imaging program project what it would be like if she had the boosters installed, it just seemed like such a waste that the irresponsible likes of 4888 would be gifted with such a boon and she was stuck grounded.

“Hello Quads, been looking all over for you,” the Exploration unit explained with a wide grin upon her face.

Seeing her so happy seemed to create a sour mood in the archival unit as she turned away in a huff. “You should have not wasted the cycles looking for me elsewhere, you knew I was to be working until the shift change,” 4444 countered hotly while continuing on to the filling station, wondering if maybe some high amp stuff wouldn’t take a bit of the edge off her annoyance with 4888. “I must insist once again you cease that diminutive designation. It is improper, and inaccurate. I am Unit 4444, as you have known since we were brought online in pods opposite of each other.”

“I’ll stop calling you Quads when you finally call me Loopy like Double-Deuce does,” 4888 challenged with a knowing smirk. For some unknown reason the mention of Unit 22 always caused 4444’s circuits to heat up, ever since she had chosen her acquaintance as an exploration partner back in their first solar cycle. “But I have something for you, after I pick up the tab on dinner.”

“I see you were paid today,” 4444 stated calmly as they entered the station and found a seating arrangement where they could have some privacy while they recharged. It seemed like such an inefficient way to charge multiple units at once, but Prima and Deuce had built the first one themselves. That was the very station which 4444 and 4888 now found themselves seated in, oddly enough in the very booth that Prima and Deuce had shared the first recharge cycle together.

“Yep, found a huge ruin with flying machines and a bunch of dangerous chemical propelled bits of metal just laying around in barely secured areas. Double-Deuce and I got a bonus for finding the location of such a large military installation as this ‘Lois ille IAP’, nearly as much as when we found that reserve of gold in that ‘Fort ox’ place,” 4888 bragged happily at having accomplished her primary function in such a manner. Of course it would be like her to have some grand discovery or something, while a mere archival unit could only hope to unlock great secrets of the past with the limited data they could recover, or perhaps design a battery pack as efficient as Prima’s own.

Absolutely nothing worth bragging about.

“There was a blurb about that on the reports for the start of this cycle,” 4444 commented as she remembered that little detail, having focused instead on the announcement of Prima and Deuce making a speech about the next production cycle. Something about finally unlocking the predecessor’s secrets.

“Yeah, but I bet you only wanted to know about Prima, huh?” Loopy commented with a smirk, knowing the other Unit nearly as well as herself. A hard feat to do when you consider that she often had to repair herself in the field without any support. After putting in her credit numbers, she bought the first round of high amp energy, followed by some milder stuff. Lifting up the charging rod she mocked tapping it against 4444’s. “To the future; together with you.”

A faint flushing of her cheeks signaled that 4444 recognized that as what Deuce always told Prima whenever they were about to embark on a new venture. Without even wasting a process she could responded. “Together, we can do anything.”

“Even go and see Prima’s speech together?” 4888 asked while holding up two data chips which any Unit past their first light cycle would recognize as passes into the government complex in which Prima made all her announcements. 4444’s ocular components dilated as she saw them, so very close to her, just being offered for her to accept.

“I cannot, those must have been-” 4444 started in protest, only for Loopy to drop one into her hand and fold her fingers over them.

“Free, with a guest if I so chose,” Loopy stated softly as she smiled quietly at herlong-time friend. “I want to take my best friend, 4444, to see the speech of Prima and Deuce about the next Production Cycle. Will she come with me?”

“I…I accept, Loopy,” Quads answered quietly as her processors screamed for her to show some form of physical affection to the unit that had just made a dream of hers come true. Calling her by the diminutive moniker seemed like a step in the right direction.

The smile that Loopy shot her was just as bright as before, if not brighter, however it didn’t cause any annoyances to Quads. Instead it brought a strange warmth to her circuits, one that didn’t register with her sensors, but she knew she felt it just the same.


	7. To the Stars

“The experiment has succeeded beyond all expectations,” a cold, calculating voice commented as they watched a small blue and white orb spinning lazily in front of the review panel. Long, skeletal fingers reached out and tapped the orb causing several lines of one might assume to be some alien script to spring up, filled with lines and dots that only those trained to read such could hope to understand. “Yes, there were a few times when we had to worry about them ever reaching this stage. Their violent and primitive nature working against them I suppose. However, they continue to evolve, to adapt, no matter the challenges that they face. Really, a most fascinating race.”

“Yes, we know all this,” another voice cut in from above, this one sharp and keen enough to cut an atom. “But you have yet to come forth with the primary failure of this project.”

“Right, I was getting to that,” the first voice commented as it slid the orb to the side, revealing a pair of humans, one male and female. “The ‘failure’ is not so much a failure, but rather an unexpected turn of events.”

“These humans, in their resilience to adapt and overcome the environment around them, have expanded their reach beyond the original containment we had erected and moved on to colonize their neighboring planet, the fourth from their stellar mass, and the satellites of both it and their own planet,” the voice continued, running a bony finger along the sides of the male figure hanging in the air before it. “As they expand their control, so too does their ambitions to test their limits.”

“What our colleague is saying, is that these humans are spreading like an infestation in their star system, and have begun to make plans for craft designed to extend their reach to other systems.” the sharp voice interrupted again, the air taking a decidedly chilled feel as the focus narrowed upon the reporting member.

“Yes, they are making progress towards that, but without proper materials they are unable to do more than travel by primitive means of burning whatever fuels they might refine. They are no threat to us, our nearest research outpost, even at the height of our interest, was at the ninth orbital path. A small ball of methane ice known as ‘Pluto’ by the humans. We have stripped it of anything remotely useful to linking towards us.”

“For your sake, I hope so,” a new, fell voice whispered drawing a nervous silence from all gathered. The attention was drawn to the silhouetted form of their leader, the Progenitor. “They must never find us… you know the ancient warnings.”

“Yes, Progenitor,” the entire council answered in unison.

The graphic of the humans was raised and expanded, drawn towards the high corner in which the Progenitor’s seat was housed. “Most interesting creatures they are though…” the Progenitor whispered as she studied the two common forms of humanity. “Be certain that all care is taken when observing them. I wish for a report upon these ‘humans’ to be presented to me as soon as possible. We must know what they are capable of.”

“Yes, Progenitor,” the first voice answered immediately. “I will have my findings to you within the hour, and more in depth research by tomorrow.”

“Very well,” the Progenitor commented as its thin, frail looking fingers reached out and flicked the image of the humans aside, returning to the image of the blue planet upon which the humans resided. A unremarkable sphere of dirt, water, and air known to the species inhabiting it as ‘Earth.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this doc!” the terrified pilot shouted over the comms to the scientist housed safely in their laboratory in the station. The reason for the terror in the pilot’s voice would have been all too evident if anyone could figure out what it was that they were currently doing. A recent meteor had been captured and pulled into orbit around Mars to mine for minerals when they came across a strange compound that expelled tremendous amounts of energy.

Naturally, when giving something that produced that much energy, science looked to put it to work. At first it was used to power cities and colonies on the planets and moon, which revealed that it lasted a relatively long time with even the smallest amounts. This in turn lead to more investigation, and after several years of study to the ship the pilot was currently strapped into.

In truth it was little more than an ejector pod strapped to what was meant to be a drive to allow them to fold space and reach beyond the limits they currently had. Nothing to be terrified about, if you hadn’t seen the results of the first experiments. When entire sectors of space are suddenly reduced to little more than cosmic radiation, you learn to respect the material that had been accidentally overcharged.

“Come now, Commander, think of the possibilities, the glory, the fame…” an ancient sounding voice of the woman who had talked her into this fool’s errand commented as if she had prepared this speech, which knowing her she had. Several months ago.

“I’m too busy thinking about the explosions, the being torn apart on an atomic level, the being scattered across space and time… couldn’t you have thought to tell me about those problems AFTER you flung me to Jupiter and back?” the pilot cut in tersely as she tightened her grip upon the control yolk. “Are you sure this will work, Doc?”

“Yes, Yuki, all the math is sound and verified, you just need to hit the button, fly around and take a few pictures, and then come back,” the voice commented like an indulgent mother to a scared child.

“Alright… turn on the recorders so my lawyers will have proof when the lawsuits start flying,” Commander Yuki Li joked, getting a laugh out of the scientist. After all, litigation like that had been done away with ages ago.

“On three then, Commander… Three….” the scientist counted as Yuki began popped open the safety cover of the big red button.

“Two…” the count continued as Yuki swallowed against the dryness in her mouth and hovered a finger over the button that would either launch her into the history books or an early grave.

“One…” Yuki mouthed along with the count as she rested her finger against the button, feeling the solid weight about what she was about to attempt in the brief second before she heard the next word, and training took over.

“Execute!” the command came, and her finger pressed down the button. Closing her eyes in the same moment she awaited the explosion that would scatter her across the space/time continuum. After a moment, the voice of the doctor commented. “Looks like a failure… alright, Yuki, bri-”

Just as her eyes opened to acknowledge she was still in orbit around Deimos, there was a blinding flash of light and then nothing. Looking around she found herself a little off course. Looking out of the cockpit’s forward viewport she gaped in shock at what she was seeing. Instead of the massive brown and red swirling gas giant surrounded with its swarm of moons there was a blue and white ball much like Earth, though a glance towards the star confirmed that it was much more distant than it would have ever been from a single Astronomical Unit. Besides the Great Dark Spot and Small Dark Spot confirmed it to be none other than Neptune.

“Doctor… I think you need to redo your math…” Yuki commented after a few minutes trying to make sense of just how far she had traveled in that instant. Powering up the conventional engines she began her mission of taking pictures, while hoping that her engines hadn’t completely burnt out all of the fuel to get back home.


	8. Death's Knell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my friend Christopher Scott for the chapter title, it just felt right. Hopefully he makes an account so I can bug him here too.

“Did you see that?” the weak voice asked as the body that spoke it raised a hand up to stroke the cheek of the person holding them. Her sight was fading, darkness creeping in from the edges to blot out her vision of their tear streaked face. It took so much effort to keep breathing, to move her arm, to do anything felt as though she was wearing a lead coat that gained layers with each passing second. Already it felt so cold, she could feel herself shivering. “I did it… I saved them…” she continued as her breath seemed to fail her.

“I… saved… them…” she repeated before her hand fell from stroking the face of the person that had held her. Her eyes stared into the distance, unseeing as the final breath rattled out of her body. She had saved them, but at the cost of her life.

Lowering the body, the silent figure carefully closed her eyes, blood soaked hands leaving their mark on the otherwise pristine face. Standing up, the stoic entity picked up the fallen woman’s weapon and marched onwards towards the enemy lines that had so cruelly cut her down with their fire. They feared no weapon, no blade could kill them, nor arrow pierce their shroud.

Raising the scythe into the air to mark the start of the charge, the grim reaper let out an unearthly shriek of rage as he summoned legions of the dead to arms around him. His sister had fallen to these accursed beasts, it was time to show them why you did not kill angels.


	9. We Go Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am currently asking the original creator of the comic this was based on for permission to add their comic in-line to the story. For those that are curious about the inspiration for this piece, http://owlturd.com/post/91042216689/we-go-forward-image-twitter-facebook is the comic in question, I hope I lived up to it.

“MOM! DAD! I DID IT!” Bounder shouted in exhileration as she landed on the far side of the great mud pit that she had trained most of her young life to leap over. She had gotten her life’s goal, she had beaten the jump that had bested her parents. “LOOK!”

Turning around she tried to see the look of pride on her parent’s face, only to realize that the wall that had always been on the other side of the house from the pit had moved with her. Running back, she attempted to push back against it, to see her parents once more. But even as she pushed, her father’s words echoed in her mind. ‘There is nothing beyond that wall. It will never move back from where it is. Remember once you’ve moved on, keep moving forward, that is our way of life.“

Pushing with all her might against the wall, she found that it would not move, it would not budge an inch. Slamming her fist against it, she slumped down as tears began stinging her eyes, knowing that she had just done what her parents had always known she would.

She had moved beyond them, and erased them from reality.


	10. Clockwork Doll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one I'm seeking permission to post the picture in the story itself, this one I have to link back to my tumblr because I can't seem to find the original post any more. http://silentmagi.tumblr.com/post/108524030030/tahliadraws-wind-up-doll-i-hope-you-dont Do show them some love as well.

She found herself upon her stool once again, just watching the world go by. She just felt so worn down lately. She felt as though her entire motivation to do anything was missing a key element. Her hair was perfectly styled and curled, her smooth, delicate skin shone beautifully in the dim light, her emerald dress was cleaned and wrinkle free, even her make up was still perfect.

 

For all the world, she was perfect, and yet she lacked anything to drive her to do anything. And so she sat upon her stool and waited for something to give her the impulse to move.

 

The sound of the door opening barely even registered with her as she lost herself in the fog of her thoughts. It wasn’t until she saw her before her with something golden in her weak, shaky hands that she understood what was going on. Her caretaker was back to take care of her once again. “Hello my dear,” she stated softly, her pale pink lips curling into a smile as she bent down to look her in the face. “Sorry I was away so long, had to see the doctors again… let’s wind you up, shall we?”

 

If she could have smiled, the doll would have done so for the care in the sickly girl’s voice. She always treated her like she was a real person, and not some wind-up doll. It was so kind of her to grant her the illusion. She would love to someday be able to repay the kindness and respond to who had become her best friend.

 

The sound of her gearbox cranking up filled her entire body as her best friend granted her some reprieve from the listless existence she had been feeling. “Thank you,” the doll’s voice box offered up as soon as she had enough energy to do so.

 

Usually that was the signal for the girl to stop winding, but she kept going, meaning that she had a longer playtime planned than usual. Turning her head, the doll watched as the girl wound her springs up even further. Eventually, she stopped the winding and stepped back to smile at her best friend. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

 

The doll blinked, having never been asked to leave the room before. She had to admit to being curious, but it was not in her to make such requests. So she inclined her head to indicate her agreement to the request. The girl took her hand and began to lead her towards the door. With a slight grinding of her gears, the doll followed along, her painted lips being unable to give the smile that she wanted to give her best friend.

 

A new world awaited the two of them, and she wasn’t about to let her best friend explore it alone.


	11. Winter's Embrace

The howling of the wind outside nearly covered the sounds of the creaking of the walls and the rattling of the windows in the old abandoned house which served as her temporary sanctuary. Pulling the tattered remains of what precious few clothes she had left in the world tighter about her shivering frame, she contemplated lighting a small fire to try and stave off freezing to death for that little while longer. Shaking her head, she remembered that the heat and light would only draw Them, and she was in no shape to fight.

How long had it been since she had a proper night’s rest? Knew of warmth and kindness in this horrid world? She could no longer tell. All she could remember is constantly running from the creatures that sought out and stole the warmth of life from the living. There had once been more with her, back when she started, but one by one the creatures found them and stole the very breath from their lungs before they could cry out, leaving only a corpse for some unfortunate soul to stumble upon in the morning’s light when they sought out the missing members.

After a while they stopped even seeking those that went missing in the night, knowing what they would find.

Clenching her eyes shut at the rattling of the door in its frame, she imagined the vile creatures that were likely on the other side attempting to rip her very life from her body. Not that she had told anyone, but she had seen them once before. They were not monsters or anything scary like that, rather they were tall and graceful creatures with fair skin and long delicate fingers. She had seen them once when they took her best friend a few months ago, she had left the night circle to seek out the boy whose face she could barely remember today, and that was when she saw them.

Their long white hair flowed in the wind as though it was made of a shimmering blanket of rushing water. This seemed to almost blend into the pale blue of their skin, which seemed to be carved out of the winter sky and made solid. Their long fingers would light upon their target, teasing the darker hair, and living flesh with their icy chill before pulling the chin up and blue lips pressed to the trembling pink lips, stealing the very breath away.

Shaking her head, she forced the vision away before it could come to the next part, where she saw the white breath of her best friend be consumed by the demon as though it was some of those long noodles the elders used to make with broth. It would do no good to remember his lifeless body falling to the ground like a pack at the end of a day’s journey. Nor to remember how the demons pitch black eyes turned upon her, and a evil smile oozing with malice played over its face before it whispered, “Not you my dear, not yet.”

She was certain that the sun rising in the east had saved her from the creature’s appetite that night, and not some twist of mercy from the vile beast. Ever since, she swore that she heard the raspy voice whispering in the back of her mind every time that one of the others died, “Not yet.”

The others had always told her that it was her imagination, but she knew what she heard in the darkness of night, when another body would be found in the morning. A dry, airy voice would grate upon her ears, letting her know that another had bought her another day or so of life. Tormenting her with the knowledge that she was only surviving because of some sort of cruel sense of play that the creature was having with her.

Brushing her long hair back, her mind went to the death of the last member of her group, a strong man who had taken to protecting her since his sister had died. She had been given the chance to sleep first while he stood watch. The wind’s howling had woken her as that raspy voice had told her “Wake up!”

That’s when she saw it, the demon was once again before her, holding the still and lifeless form of her traveling companion and watching her with those dead black eyes. Slowly it lifted a finger and pointed behind her, before vanishing into the night without another sound. Turning around, she saw a faint flickering of light, a bastion of hope and warmth that might save her for a little while longer. And indeed it had, there was food and cloth that she could fashion into something to replace her old tattered clothing. There had been medicine that she packed away in case of need, and even places she could have a fire without showing too much light.

She had remained in that city of empty buildings for a week, burying the bodies of the former inhabitants whenever she could, before the fear drove her onward. It was a trap, a gilded cage for the demon to fatten her up in.

That had been months ago, and since then she had found few caves, and fewer buildings, to offer her protection. Yet she knew she had to continue onward, pushing south to where there was warmth, and hopefully other people she could warn of the demon. Every night she knew she was that much further from it, every night was one more day’s travel from the cold and loneliness.

Looking at her pack, she wondered if she could spare a bit more food to quell the grumbling pain of her stomach. She had that can of beans that would go well with the crackers she’d eaten earlier, but that would mean one can less for the future. As it was, her pack would likely barely last her another three weeks before it was empty. Tearing her eyes away she lowered her head onto her knees and closed her eyes, trying to catch a few scant moments of sleep despite the howling storm outside her little refuge.

With sleep would come visions of lands of warmth, of her family awaiting her with open arms. Of all her fallen friends being playing or working on the fields of their farming village. Of times when she had enough to eat and didn’t have to fear the insidious demon hunting her down like some wolf chasing a rabbit.

Sleep was a welcome luxury that she seldom afforded herself, because the demon would hunt her at night. The days were used for travel and finding somewhere to hide the night away, gathering what scant supplies she might manage, or seeking what little warmth the Sun filtered down through the grey, dismal clouds that kept it hidden from sight. Night was for hiding and keeping watch so that the creature wouldn’t find her.

It was the silence that woke her, a deafening silence that left her ears ringing and terror creeping into her heart. She knew this silence, it was the harbinger of the demon’s arrival. It had finally came for her warmth. Forcing herself to stand, she watched as the door to the room swung open with a soft creak, revealing the demon that had been pursuing her.

The long hair hung limply across the fine shoulders, revealing a taut and drawn face grinning at her with what might have been a welcoming smile had it held anything resembling warmth. Reaching for her belt, she pulled out the knife she’d kept for when the demon finally came for her.

While she doubted that it would do any good, she knew none of the others had been prepared for when the demon came for them. Locking eyes with the monster, she glared defiantly as her hand tightened around the knife’s handle. The demon would not take her without a fight, and the fire of her hate would grant her the strength to shake off whatever spell the creature would cast over her, or so she hoped.

The icy creature held up its long, delicate hands to begin weaving whatever spell it cast to hold the others still as it devoured their warmth. “No need for that,” the creature rasped out as it lowered its hands. “Come with me, join your friends…”

This caused her to loosen her grip by the slightest of margins, she could rejoin her friends and family. She would see them again, and they would be safe from the monster before her. In that instant of distraction, the monster had drawn close enough that she could feel the fell breath of the demon on her skin. Unlike her suspicions, it was warm and slightly spicy. Faint memories of pies made with apples trickled into her thoughts, stealing her will to fight by ever so much.

“Do not fight it, you knew this moment was coming,” the demon whispered, the raspiness fading into a soft silken tone that sent shivers up the girl’s spine. This was something she knew was coming, she had known since her friend had died before her very eyes. Yet never before had she ever wanted to give in to the demon, to let it steal away the warmth that was her life.

“Yes, that’s right, walk with me… I shall take you to paradise,” the icy beast purred as she felt its spindly fingers reach out to brush her hair back, in turn cupping the back of her head in a gentle, warm embrace. The face before her was not hollow and void of life, but rather beautiful and inviting with its glistening surface and delicate lines.

Closing her eyes, she fought against whatever spell the creature was weaving over her. Fought to remember the hatred that had served to steel her against the monster, to embrace that fear that had continued to drive her onward away from the beast, but she found none of that, instead there was a strange hunger building in her chest.

Swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat, she opened her eyes again and found the demon smiling at her again, awaiting some signal from the girl. Weakly the girl drew the knife out, catching sight of its gleaming length and a mirror image of the demon before her. Pausing she found that instead of the icy beast that had been hunting her for years, there was a blonde girl with warmth and tenderness. This strange revelation caused her to lose her grip on the knife, letting the long blade clatter uselessly to the ground. She knew this girl, she had known her for as long as she had lived.

Suddenly the demon was gone, and she was staring into her own face smiling back at her. “Come on, let’s go join our friends. It’s safe now.”

Smiling, she let go of the final resistance she had been holding onto, allowing the demon to take her warmth. It was painless, like exhaling her breath and not needing to draw another. Her eyes closed briefly, and she felt warmth and sunshine brushing over her face. There was laughter nearby, but she didn’t want to bother seeking it out. It was nice to just lay here and rest.

“Hey lazybones, are you going to sleep there all day?” a voice asked, causing her to open her eyes slowly and look into the smiling face of her best friend. “Oh, you’ve woken up finally. Felt like ages since you took your nap.”

Pushing herself up, she felt herself shaking off a strange feeling of coldness that lingered in her body despite the wonderful summer day that surrounded them. “Come on, the Lady is waiting for us, the feast is ready.”

Together the pair ran off towards the village, leaving behind the slight mound of dirt which she had been resting upon, marked only by a small wooden cross. The Lady’s feasts were never something to be late for, she would wait until everyone had gathered after all, and while no one ever felt hungry, they did want to go back to playing as soon as they could. This land of eternal summer days was a blessing the Lady had graced upon them, and the only thing she asked was to have a feast once a week with her.

Getting to the village center, they found the entire village waiting, with the Lady looking directly at them, smiling the kindly smile she always had for the people under her care. The smile caused the girl to pause, a flash of memory clenching her heart with terror for some unknown reason before being squelched as unreasonable.

Before she could get herself moving again, she found herself being wrapped in a warm tender embrace. Looking up, she found herself looking into the dancing mirth of the Lady’s eyes. “Come my child, the feast is prepared, and you are the guest of honor.”

A smile spread over the girl’s face as she was led to the table, where the feast was spread. That’s right, it was her feast, the Lady had chosen her as the next to take up her title, and they were celebrating.

For some strange reason she felt that she no longer had to run. She was safe, she was home, and her future was to serve the village as the Lady.


	12. Do Anything For Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written while listening to Meatloaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love", about a character whose name I use for a placeholder in a lot of my original works. I found it interesting to delve into, and I hope you enjoy it as well.

Standing alone in a room strewn with clothing, stood a woman staring at a picture with a pained expression. Her flowing blonde hair framed her face to accent her blue eyes and pouty red lips upon her creamy white face. The hair fell down over her body to cover her ample breasts as she she tossed the picture aside.

“What do you want of me?” she asked as her skin rippled, turning a sun-kissed bronze as freckles appeared seemingly at random over her shoulders and face. Her platinum hair shrunk in on itself, turning into twin ginger, braided pigtails. Her bright red lips faded to a lighter pink.

“I have become everything asked of me, but you refuse to love me! I would do anything for your love, but you won’t grant me that one thing!” she shouted as her skin darkened to the color of an oak, while her ginger hair flared out into a large fro of pitch black hair. Her curves lengthened as she gained several feet of height. Storming over to the picture she picked it up again, and glared at it like an Amazonian warrior eying up an oncoming foe. “What is wrong with me?”

As the picture refused to answer once again, she lowered it back onto a bed and picked up a long silken dress of Asian inspiration. Holding it up to the mirror, she shrunk in on herself, becoming petite, dainty, and delicate. Her hair smoothed down into a neat little bun on the top of her head, complete with two bone hair sticks piercing it through crosswise. Her dark skin lightened to a rich olive hue, her eyes turning to a striking brown as she stared into the mirror. “Why can I never be what you want? What am I missing?” she asked as her voice shifted to match the face staring back at her from the mirror.

Tossing the dress into the air, she slumped down against the wall next to the mirror. “What is wrong with me?” she asked as tears began streaming from her hazel eyes, her hair tumbling down in brown curls while her skin went fair once again. Bringing her hands to hide her face from view, she allowed herself to just cry while her body continued to shift through multiple forms. There was millions upon millions of variations, from a woman that could have passed for a child, to an old grandmotherly lady, to a butch little trans-male. Punk, Goth, elegant lady, homebodies, nerd, princess. Male, female, combinations of the two. Nothing had ever been good enough for the person in the photograph, the one person she had never been able to satisfy with her powers.

Laying down, exhausted from the rapid use of her powers, coupled with the emotional turmoil she was suffering from, she felt everything drifting so far away. Reaching out, she carefully scooped up the picture of a small girl smiling at the camera with beautiful mismatched blue and green eyes, amber hair pulled back into a high ponytail, and vitiligo skin. The girl was hugging a giant stuffed chameleon, grinning at the camera with a smile that was missing a few front teeth. At the bottom of the Polaroid picture was very neat penmanship that read, ‘Autumn Vesper, 6th birthday.’

“Why can’t I love myself like you did so long ago?”


	13. Dance With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the song "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon.

She didn’t know what she was still doing here, since her friends had left her at the bar a few minutes into the party. She didn’t like the noise, the stench of alcohol, or the hot and muggy atmosphere of the bar that they had insisted on dragging her out to after finals were over. If she were being perfectly honest with herself, she wasn’t even their friend, just their tutor.

Pushing her glasses up on her nose, she sighed as the bar tender set another glass of soda in front of her. Ah yes, there was the main reason she hadn’t left yet. She was the designated driver, which meant she was responsible for making sure everyone got back to the dorms safely. At least the free soda tasted good. Adjusting her glasses, she looked around the swarming bodies to attempt to find her ‘friends’ and ask if they could leave yet.

That was when a flash of purple caught her attention. It was just some punk party chick, but there was something hypnotic about this girl. The way she moved was amazing, fluid and perfectly in synch with the music filling the air, no matter how jarring the beat might seem. Her dress seemed to be cobbled together out of several other pieces of clothing, yet looked so wonderful on her that it was impossible not to think that it was the latest fashionable piece.

Feeling her throat suddenly dry, she lifted the soda to her lips and took a slow sip, when something caused her to nearly choke on the beverage. The lightly dusted lids of the woman’s eyes opened to reveal a pair of eyes that mirrored each other in their split color. The outsides were green as emeralds twinkling with mirth, fading into a blue that could have been pulled from the depths of the oceans to drown her in. Their eyes locked for a moment, before one of the split eyes vanished as she winked and the girl was lost in the sea of bodies.

Deciding to get some fresh air, she finished off her soda and set the glass on the bar. The tender scooped it up and raised an eyebrow at her. Waving off his concern, she motioned towards the exit and fanned herself to try and explain what was going on without having to shout over the thumping music. He nodded and gave her a friendly smile before turning to serve another thirsty party goer. The path to the door was difficult to manage, but she finally got outside and all but gulped down the cool night air.

There were a few other people outside, mostly late-comers heading inside or a couple smokers off to one corner of the entryway. Steering away from them, she leaned her head back to stare up at the distant twinkling lights of the stars far, far away. Oddly enough, the night’s sky brought back a haunting echo of the girl’s split eyes to the forefront of her mind. They sparkled like the stars in the dim light of the bar, promising something magical, and yet nothing at all.

Shaking her head, she let out a bitter laugh at that, knowing that the girl wouldn’t have anything to do with a bookish little nerd like herself. Not one of such exotic beauty and ethereal grace. Settling down on a little half-wall, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Looking around, she didn’t see anyone that was watching her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was going on. Shaking her head, she pushed off the wall and moved closer towards the entrance, where it was brighter and more people were around.

It was then that she noticed her again; the girl that had been filling her thoughts for the past few minutes was standing at the door to the club with a sly, inviting grin. The exotic beauty held up her hand and crooked a finger invitingly towards her. Looking around, she tried to figure out who she was singling out, which lasted all of the time it took for the girl of many colors to stride across the open area and take her hand. A soft, insistent tugging pulled her into the light of the entryway, and then the darkness of the club.

None of the noise, the stench, or the cloying atmosphere seemed to remain around this girl; instead there was a steady beating pulse, a faint hint of a perfume, and an energizing aura engulfing her. She was about to make an excuse to retreat back to the bar, not wanting to embarrass herself by dancing with a stranger in the middle of a club. Yet, the hand that had dragged her in was still clenching hers, all but begging silently for her to stay; meanwhile the matching pair brought a single finger up to her lips and the girl whispered. “Shut up, and dance with me…” she asked softly as the woman surged forward, her breath playing lightly over her ear, causing shivers to ripple down her back.

Giving her a nervous smile, she began to dance with the intoxicating vision of beauty that had for some reason picked her out as a partner for the evening. Oddly enough, she found herself getting into the swing of the song, even though she had never enjoyed dancing before. Perhaps it was the aura of the woman she was dancing with, the gentle guiding hand that had not left hers for even a second, or some strange insanity that was washing over her, but she was having fun just letting go. The song’s pace picked up, as did the speed that their bodies swirled through the area. They were a part of the song as much as the thumping beat of the drum, the rumbling hum of the bass, or the words that she couldn’t even fathom hearing at this point.

The rest of the world faded into nothing, just the two of them lost in the dance, swirling around each. The flashing, vibrant girl of exotic beauty, and her plain partner, the contrast showing off that she was beautiful in her own right, the pair of them made a strange dichotomy that flowed together in a way that enhanced both of them.

As the song climaxed, she felt a tug from the hand in the girl’s catching her by surprise. Falling into the polychromatic girl’s arms, she found herself staring into those mirrored split eyes as the song fell silent. The lights around them faded until they were left alone in the dark.

She was about to speak, when a gentle pressure on her lips silenced her once more. She was righted before the lights came back on; standing there in confusion at the applauses of the other patrons of the club broke out around her. Looking around, she found herself alone.

Getting out of the cheers and catcalling from the others, she sought out the familiar comfort of the bar, the welcoming sight of her friends waiting for her, anything that would return her world to the way it once was. The next few minutes were a blur of panic, excited chatter, and a disappointed groan from her friends.

She gave them enough fare for a cab back to the dorms, with a promise that the bartender would keep an eye on them before she rushed out to her car. After fumbling with her keys for a moment, she sank into the driver’s seat with a heavy sigh. She reached up with a trembling finger to run it along her lips, smiling fondly as she remembered the tender warmth that had embraced them not even a few minutes prior. For a first time, that was pretty nice.

Reaching out to start the car, she found herself thinking that next time; she’d ask the others to go out dancing.


	14. Clockwork Dancer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a sequel to Clockwork Doll, set almost immediately afterwards.

“Dance with me,” had been her final command, at the end of a long hallway before they entered into a massive, opulent room the clockwork doll could never have imagined. Her mistress wound her a few more times for good measure before taking her hand and leading the doll onto the floor.

The doll obeyed, tilting her head as she noticed how worn her mistress had become. The porcelain hue to her skin, the tired eyes, every bit of her betrayed that something was not well with her. Yet the doll couldn’t refuse her command, bowing her head she joined her mistress in the slow, song less dance set to the beat of her own gears.

Her mistress’s hold was light and delicate, guiding without being controlling. Not that she could feel it, but she knew that her mistress was struggling to continue dancing. Her own grip was gentle and encircling just as firm as the gears would allow without harming her mistress. “You are my best and only friend… and I have been so selfish with you,” the girl whispered as she looked deeply into her eyes, searching for something.

“I am yours, you cannot be selfish,” the doll explained as she longed for her eyes to soften, to show some emotion aside from the painted expression of poise that she always wore. It was breaking her crankshaft to hear her mistress talk like that. There was something off about this, and she didn’t know what she could do to stop her talking like that.

A soft laugh escaped the dry, chapped lips of her mistress as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “No… you would not say… I was being selfish…” she mused with a winded tone to her voice as she continued dancing, moving to rest her head on the puffed shoulder of the doll’s dress, her breath teasing the drifting hairs from her perfect style.

The dance continued in near silence between them for a while, and it was only an hour later, when the gears inside her were beginning to slow that the doll realized something. “I am running out of tension,” she spoke, getting no response from her mistress. Dread settling into her gear filled chest, the doll turned slowly to look at the mistress to repeat herself, but the words stalled on her tongue at what she saw.

Her mistress was staring at her with tender, haunted eyes as she fought for every breath she could keep. “I know… I want to stay in your arms…” she stated calmly before leaning up to capture the doll’s painted lips with her own, smearing the perfection.

It was in this position that the doll held her mistress as the gears inside ground to a halt. Before the final one had stilled itself, her mistress slumped against her and breathed her last.

The doll’s final motion was to reach up and hold her mistress’s head to her chest in a tender embrace as she tilted forward to rest her face in the hair. A tiny droplet of machining oil drifted down from her eye, along her cheek, to drip down onto her mistress’s dress, staining it.

Her mistress had not been selfish; she had shared her very final moments with her. So why did she wish that she had never known life?

As the usual fog settled on her mind from her stilled body, she hoped the pain would fade and someday, someday she’d be able to tell her mistress the truth of her feelings.


	15. Where Do Humans Come From?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prompt from tumblr found at [writing-prompt-s](http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/152407434350). I think it came out nicely, what do you think?

“Daddy, where do humans come from?” J’kar asked his father while being laid out on his stone slab for the day. He barely heard the hiss of breath, but his eyes caught sight of his father’s ridges rising, while the scales around his gills flared in terror. Something about that struck the fledgling as his father had faced countless hordes of beings before.

“W-where did you hear about humans child?” his father asked as he smoothed down the ridges along his facial fins, trying to mask the fear that had caused them to rise up.

J’kar tapped his claws against the slumbering slab timidly as he looked down quietly. “I was reading some history scrolls, and they were talking about your mother’s role in the Human wars, and their invasion… and it just…”

“You wondered where they invaded from,” the wise, proud voice of his father caused him to look up in surprise at not being scolded for his precociousness again. His father settled in on the slab, curling his long tail around the smaller form in a comforting manner. “I cannot say I’m surprised you wish to know, you are much the adventurous one like my mother was if my father’s tales are true…”

J’kar coiled up into his father’s tail, and looked up at him with expectant eyes, his stubby little ridges flush with his jawline and the crown of his skull. He loved when his father told him about the old times, as they seemed to come alive more than when his teachers would drone about it in lessons, or the heralds would proclaim it in the performance dens.

“Humans are a savage race from another plane known as Prima to us, they call it Earth. The came to our homes seeking things they consider riches, things they called gold, gemstones, and precious metals,” he began in a deep rumbling voice as he reached over with his massive clawed hand and stroked his son’s head slowly, unknowing that they were being watched by a pair of sharp yellow eyes, who turned away with a soft hissing laugh.

“Boys…” a soft voice muttered to herself as she pulled the breastplate off her chest and set it on its stand. Her boys were safe and sound, so she would take a quick dip in the magma before retiring for the day. She had a long night’s work behind her, and she just wanted to relax now.


	16. Love Potion

Finally it was time; finally all their pain and sadness would be at an end. It had taken years of searching, cryptic meetings, and more money than was probably healthy, but what they were holding in their hand was the ideal cure for the heartbreak and loneliness in their heart. Holding up the vial of thick, vibrant pink fluid to the light, they turned it slowly to ensure it was just as the woman they had bought it from told them it was supposed to be.

Tiny flecks of starlight danced in the pink depths, forming small hearts that fluttered around inside the depths. This was the infamous love potion that would remove their pain and cause the first person they laid eyes upon to fall instantly and madly in love with them.

If this miracle of alchemical magic worked, then they would be able to live their life in eternal happiness since nothing could break the potion’s effect once taken. Taking a deep breath, they uncorked the bottle and let it breath for a ten count like the witch had instructed them as the scent of flowers, sunshine, and joy filled the room they had shut themselves into for this important moment in their life. They had to be quick though, since the potion would spoil if they waited too long.

As the tenth second passed, the bottle was put to their lips and tipped so the thick liquid flowed into their mouth. They had to drink the entire sickening sweet mess in a single motion, or their body would reject it. So to force themselves further, they shut their eye and continued drinking down the concoction that tasted nearly like pure sugar stirred into honey, with mixed fruit chasers.

When the potion was gone, and they felt they could breathe again, a strange tingling filled their mind to signal its effects taking over. A steadying breath and a count of three, and they opened their eyes to look at the mirror they had placed on the back of the door early.

This was it, they were finally going to love themselves, they were going to be happy to be themself, and nothing could take that from them now.

What they hadn’t expected when their eyes opened was to meet another pair of eyes, full of concern and tenderness. “Hey, you alright?” the voice of their best friend asked, as a hand reached out and cupped their cheek gently. “I let myself in and you didn’t answer when I called out.”

Their heart stilled as they saw their friend’s eyes began to glaze over for a moment, before the distance between the two began to close. This was terrible, how could they have done this to their best friend?

When their friend’s forehead rested against theirs instead of a kiss, they were confused for a moment, before their friend’s voice came out again. “Hey, let’s go for a walk. You’ve been cooped up in here for too long.”

“S…sure?” they answered feeling a slight dread and confusion, had the potion not worked? Was the entire thing fake?

As they walked out of the room, the potion bottle forgotten in a pile of dirty laundry, they missed a single raven sitting on the window sill watching, before bobbing its head once and taking flight with a caw of raucous laughter.


	17. Reap What You Sow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of post apocalyptic writing, sorta in the vein of Fallout in the Wall-E universe.

“Recycling is good for the environment,” the gentle, nurturing voice of the long dead teacher crackled through the speakers of the headset as Mira gazed out over the desolate wasteland before her. Every member of the Tunnels emerged on their twentieth birthday with the elder of the village and given a recording to play. The warning blatantly obvious even to the most dense of members of the village.

The elder put their gloved hand on her shoulder and waved the metallic walking cane that had once been a part of a land vehicle the ancients used. The horror stories about it echoed in her mind every time she was the length of metal. They screamed along paved pathways at speeds that she could barely understand, fueled by explosions inside itself. The humans inside restrained inside by what was considered safe, but in reality were just straps of material that pinned them to seats of metal and fabric. “This is our curse for our ancestors not heeding the wisdom of The Teacher. It is time to offer you the choice. Return to the Tunnels, and help us survive. Or go into the wastes to your own devices.”

Yes, The Choice, another part of this ritual. Return to the safety of the tunnels, or go out into the wastelands and see what they could do to return the world to health. And she had long thought of her answer, ever since her older brother returned to become a farmer like their parents.

“I will walk the surface Elder,” she stated solemnly as she bowed her head to show her respect to the one before her.

The form of the Elder stiffened before her in shock, never in the past three generations had one chosen to face the trials of the surface. Slowly the Elder leaned in to rest their hand on Mira’s shoulder again. “You are a brave woman Mira Cooper,” the wizened voice stated as though near tears, before the hand shifted and moved to encircle her. “The home you know will never be the same now, but the path to where it lay will always be open.”

The Elder stepped away and pulled a dull grey metallic door open revealing a small storage area inside, much like the food storage units in the cafeterias, but instead it had three things. One was what she remember from her studies to be known as a sword, a small clear vial with some seeds inside, and the last was a data crystal she could attach to her suit’s helmet. “This is all we can afford to send with you. Be safe, be great.”

With that Mira was left alone, the Elder entering back into the Tunnels, the metal door’s latches clacking into place with an echoing finality.


	18. Finding More

“And that… is another rather large chuck of rock in space,” Tamara droned as they slowly drifted into a stationary orbit around what was probably the five thousandth chunk of debris since the start of the mission. A dry chuckle escaped her lips as she secured them in the orbit and warmed up the scanners for the good doctorate candidate.

She’d go and let her know that they were in position soon enough, but for now she wanted to take a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the company, but there was something about being stuck on a small ship with someone for three months that made you really appreciate moments of privacy.

Hearing the faint hiss of the door behind her she let out a silent sigh, knowing that her break was being cut short. “Hey Doc, scanners are up and ready when you are.”

“You know, you can call me Amelia,” the woman stated as she settled into the secondary controls, her goggles held on her face by a thin band. In her file photo, the goggles were replaced with archaic wire framed lenses that rested on her nose, something about an allergy to the common ocular correction options.

“I know, but someone’s gotta get you ready for when you’re a doctor,” she teased as she turned to give her a playful wink, enjoying the way the girl’s face turned a bright crimson once again. The faint smile that spread out behind her visor screen was hard to make out, but Tamara loved when she could catch them.

It reminded her of times during the war when her copilot and she could take moments to just shoot the breeze and forget about the life and death struggles for a moment. Yet, this was not her former partner; this was just some scientist that hired her for a rather boring job out here on the outer edges of the Earth Stellar Federation’s borders scanning seemingly random chunks of rock.

“If my thesis is proven true, I will accept you calling me Doc without protest, until then, please refrain from calling me that,” the scientist stated once more, something that always got a chuckle out of the pilot.

“So what are you looking for out here?” the pilot asked in a diversionary tactic to forgo acknowledging the deal that was being proposed. She watched as the endless scrolling text of the incoming data flowed over her display, keeping an eye on the radar feed to track for any threats nearby. The rebellion might have quieted down, but there were still rogue pilots, and pirate bands out this far. They’d been lucky this far that they avoided them for the most part, with only a couple close calls a few systems back, but nothing that landing on the rocks they were scanning and powering down couldn’t fix.

“Life; but not as we know it. I believe that all of these rocks are from a planet that was destroyed and spread across several dozen star systems. There are elements in them that are too closely aligned on deeper analysis than can be counted as coincidental. Elements and trace biometrics that could only occur if they were from a common origin,” Amelia answered in a quiet voice as she looked out at the rock before them with a sort of child-like wonder that drew Tamara’s attention away from the scanners to really look at her for the first time since the start of the mission.

She was rather beautiful in her own way, her eyes soft and unfocused while her lips were parted slightly in wonder at the knowledge before her. It actually made the normally jaded pilot somewhat curious about how she could make those lips smile more often. But something was strange about what she had said. “How is that possible?”

“That is what my thesis is… aliens of a sufficiently advanced civilization created an explosion large enough to scatter pieces of the planet across several parsecs of space. And if we can learn the secret of it, we could protect our planets from it, use it for mining, begin weapon research, and maybe even apply it to making travel through the universe so much easier and faster. That amount of energy is so massive, it is hard to even attempt to calculate the possibilities,” she gushed excitedly as her eyes lit up even more at the ramifications of the scientific possibilities before her.

“Well, as long as we don’t run into the alien life that had that power,” the pilot offered as the scanners chirped their completion of the gathering of the data on the planetoid. Powering up the engines again, she pulled the craft away to move on to the next one.

“Oh, that’s not overly likely, we would have discovered them by now if they were still around, wouldn’t we?”

The pilot was just about to answer when an alarm alerted them to the prescience of a new craft in the system, and one quick look out the view screen told them one thing. That was definitely not a human made craft.


	19. Shoot for the Moon, Land in the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a little snippet based upon a picture made by thesanityclause on tumblr. It was very cute, adorable, and I hope that I captured even a smidgen of it with my words. I have requested permission to post the image with the story. Until I get approval please visit and show you love for the [original work.](http://thesanityclause.tumblr.com/post/154317822668/day-10-of-queermas-and-its-an-ecology-professor) It is a beautiful piece.

Dr. Darla Moreno toyed with the cuff of her orange sweater and her brown eyes focused on the light pink hair of her fellow professor walking into the staff lounge, drifting down slowly to take in the adorable blue star covered sweater she wore over her dress shirt. It looked like she was planning on working through lunch again.

Shifting nervously, she took a deep breath to try and find the courage she needed to go through with this plan. She knew that it was just lunch, but social situations like this always made her nervous. While she focused on berating herself, she heard the fompf noise of the woman she wanted to talk to getting further away. Surging up from her seat, she tried to find the bespectacled woman that had been something of a growing concern for her. Digging through her many pockets, she pulled out a magic marker and wrote out what she wanted to say to the other, unwittingly adding a heart to the bottom of it. She’d read off the script, and that should help, right?

Rushing after the noise of the cane against the floor, she thought about when she had first seen the woman she had come to find occupying her mind. It had been a start of term meeting like any other, when the dean announced that they had found a replacement astronomy professor.

When she walked in, using a star covered cane to support herself as she walked. Their eyes had met for the briefest of moments while her name, Professor Olivia Winchester, was being announced, and suddenly Darla found herself wondering why the wall was so fascinating and why her cheeks were so warm. They hadn’t had a chance to talk in the past three months, but she had seen her around several times, and wanted to try and be her friend and get to know her better.

Rounding the corner she tried to call out to the astrology professor, only to find her voice suddenly missing. The croaking noise that had escaped her must have been loud enough to gain the woman’s attention, as she turned to look at her curiously, a light blush dusting her cheeks. The eyes drifted downward momentarily as curiosity spread across her face, when those eyes that had seen the wonders of the universe returned to meet Darla’s own, there still seemed to be a bit of wonder and mystery to them.

Slowly, her lips spread into a warm smile before they parted and a simple, “I would love to.” sent Darla’s heart racing into overdrive. This was far better than she had thought possible. “Care to join me in my lab? My meal is waiting there.”

She knew she was having that dopey smile of hers on her face, but she didn’t care. She had somehow managed to awkward her way through a social encounter, and was able to pursue it to whatever ends it may lead to.

“Y-yeah, I… that would be great!”


	20. Winter's Embrace pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With normality returning to my life, I've found some drive to write again. I was watching a video on YouTube and it brought back the story Winter's Embrace to mind. I hope that you enjoy it.
> 
> [Original post.](http://silentmagi.tumblr.com/post/159586291680/winters-embrace-pt-2)

Peaceful warmth settled over the form nestled on the rock overlooking the placid lake as they stared into the crystal clear depths, watching the small fish there bobbing and weaving around. At least that’s what it appeared they were doing, instead their mind was racing with thoughts as the feast they had just eaten in their honor sat heavily on their stomach. Unfurling to lay out on the rock, seemingly attempting to sun themselves the form revealed itself to be that of a young woman, with long flowing auburn hair, dusty brown skin, and hazel eyes the only revelation that she wasn’t as completely relaxed as her body showed.

She could still feel the biting chill of the dream, and vague flickers of the creature that had been hunting her. But her mind refused to focus enough to allow her to understand what it was showing, but it wouldn’t drift away enough to let the dream go away. What was the worst was that the flashes she got of the creature would constantly change, shifting, and reforming into other faces around her.

“What troubles you my child?” a delicate voice, soft and warm as a summer’s breeze drifted over as the beautiful face of the Lady appeared before her like a cloud given solid form. Her long blonde hair spilled down in golden rays of sunshine, while her blue eyes shone like a cloudless sky. “You barely ate at your feast.”

It took her mind a second to shift from the half-remembered dream to the vision before her. Scrambling to turn over, she prostrated herself before the Lady, her body shivering slightly despite the warmth. “Forgive me my Lady, I was lost in thought. I had not kno-“

“Rise child, rise,” the woman commanded with a slight laugh to her voice. When she didn’t immediately respond, the girl felt a hand touch her shoulder and help her up. “No need for that my child; you are to be the Lady yourself. But you seem troubled in this paradise, what bothers you?”

“It is nothing to worry yourself over my Lady, but I- I had this dream before the feast and it lingers in my mind,” she explained, settling back down on the rock, feeling the Lady embrace her around the shoulders as she took up a position next to her. The warmth of the contact, along with the scent of spiced apples that always seemed to surround the Lady helped to ease the tension she hadn’t realized was in her shoulders, and make the dream seem further away.

The soft laughter of the woman was as warm as her touch and served to drive the chill even further away from her body. “The wisdom of youth is an amazing thing,” she teased lightly as her hand guided the younger woman to lean against her body. “Let me decide what I should worry about. You are important to me, and I think you are in need of some help.”

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, the smell of spiced apples filling her senses for a moment as the vision continued to drift away. “I thought I was as well Lady, but I think I just needed time. I can scarcely recall any of the dream right now,” she explained as her eyes opened to look up at the smiling face of the Lady, “Thank you for your concern, but I believe I will be alright now.”

“If that is so, then all the better for the both of us, but should dreams ever trouble you, seek me out child, I love to help you and the rest of our little family,” the Lady explained as she leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, cupping the back of her head with a hand to draw her in close. “You will be a wonderful Lady, never forget that.”

“I won’t my Lady, and with your example to guide me, I feel I will be better than I even hope now,” she answered with a bow of her head after she was released. “Thank you for your time.”

There was the briefest pause, and she could almost swear that the air felt heavier in that instant, but then it was gone and the Lady let out a bemused little laugh. The faint shifting of cloth alerted her to the rising of the Lady, who patted her on the head softly. “Rise and go play my Child, enjoy what time you have before you become the Lady.”

“Yes, thank you Lady!” she agreed before turning to head towards the fields past the tree she had been sleeping under earlier. There were some flowers that were perfect for making a flower crown. Perhaps that would soothe her mind and show her gratitude for the Lady taking the time to help her out.

She had only gotten a few yards away when her friend Marigold popped out of the hut at the edge of the village. Her scarlet hair waved in the gentle breeze as her green eyes danced with mirth; in her arms was a basket of freshly baked rolls, obviously for the evening meal in a few hours. Rushing over, she took the other side of the basket from Marigold, giving it a little greater balance. “Thank you.”

“No problem, you should have told me you were so busy today, I would’ve helped!” she chided softly as the pair made their way to the feasting table in the center pavilion.

Marigold let out a jolly laugh as she freed one hand enough to pat her on the shoulder. “I had it until just now, and you were busy talking with the Lady. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“She was asking me about why I didn’t eat as much at lunch as I normally do, and then I was telling her about this weird dream that was bugging me, but then I forgot it, and…” she started to explain, only to trail off with a huff. “I feel so silly for wasting her time like that.”

“She knows you don’t spend time worrying over nothing, I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Marigold pointed out as they entered the pavilion and began loading the bowls with rolls, covering them with a cloth to keep the animals out of them. There were usually some broken pieces at the bottom of the carry basket, and that would go to a feeding area for the critters of the village. The animals were somewhat trained to eat there, and it helped create the harmonious balance with nature the village enjoyed. “Want to go play in the field after this? We got enough time to join in one game of tag before the meal begins in earnest.”

“I was thinking of making the Lady a flower crown, she was a great help and I think a present would be nice,” she explained while tucking the cloth into place. “Two would be even better, wouldn’t it?”

“Just so!” the baker cheered happily, clapping her on the shoulder. “I haven’t made her anything in a while, it sounds fun!”

“Let’s finish up and get out there,” she answered while moving on to the next bowl, adjusting the wooden spoon at one placement so it was straight. It struck her as strange that they used wood and stone for most everything, but it was the Lady’s rule that there be no metals in the village. Shaking her head, the thought was banished as quickly as it rose. Why should she find it strange? They had always used wood and stone.

Shaking her head, she forced herself back on task of helping her friend set up for the evening meal. Taking a deep breath, she turned to talk to her friend, to find her frozen with a roll dropping out of her hand into the bowl. What was strange was that she seemed to be made of some sort of white stone, with long flowing blue stands of water frozen in time in place of her fiery red hair.

Just as suddenly as the vision struck, it passed; leaving her staring at her friend in confusion as the baker continued to talk about whatever it had been they were talking about. But her mind couldn’t focus on the words, only on the image of her friend hewn from some strange substance she couldn’t figure out. Then a vision of her dream returned to her in the next breath, a hungry creature of some sort stalking closer made of the same materials, in a land of ice and snow outside a broken room of stone and glass.

The second vision cleared just as Marigold’s hand rested on her forehead, a concerned look shining in her eyes. “Are you alright? You just spaced out for a moment,” the baker asked, her other arm holding her firmly in place as the gleam of a blade of metal flickered across her mind, echoing the shine of her friend’s eyes.

“I’m… no, I think I should talk to the Lady, the dream has returned, an-“ and then in the blade of the knife in her hands, she saw her. The Lady in all her beauty was reflected when the knife caught sight of whatever creature that had been. Her stomach knotted as terror grew in her heart. “I need to speak to the Lady. These dreams are… are unsettling, and I worry they may affect my ability to become the Lady.”

“Sit down,” Marigold commanded as she helped her into a nearby chair from the table, concern shining on her face. “You look ready to fall over, just stay here and I will get her for you. Hold onto the dreams.”

“Hurry, please,” she asked as she felt a weakness wash over her like she had never known before.

While the baker ran off, calling for help and the Lady, a blast of cold ripped through her body, followed swiftly by a sweltering heat and pressure, like several people were stretched over every inch of her body. It was very hard for her to breathe with the pressure, and oddly every breath felt like shards of ice stabbing into her lungs. As her vision began swimming, with the entire eating pavilion waving in and out of focus, she shut her eyes and forced herself to breathe steadily.

At the feel of something warm and wet stroking her face, she found that it was hard to move her arms, as they felt so heavy that she swore the pressure on her body was actual weights strapped across her, pinning her arms down. She wanted to stop the moisture at her face as it came with a rather heavy, musky scent she couldn’t place. Finally, she opened her eyes and found herself staring up along a long, white muzzle into piercing yellow eyes. The moisture stroked across her face once more as she caught sight of razor sharp fangs that could have torn her throat open.

A thin, wiry hand reached forward to push the animal’s face out of her own, revealing that she was staring up at a roof of stone. As that filtered into her mind, she realized that she was laying down on a soft mattress, and the pressure remained. Shifting a little, she found another head perk up and turn to look at her. If it wasn’t so terrifying, she’d almost think that it was worried about her.

Then a voice interrupted the welling panic in her chest, drawing her attention to him. “Ah good, you are awake. Forgive us the intrusion on your dwelling, but we caught scent of the Breath Stealer, and sought to hunt them down. We had feared you dead, but your last breath had not been stolen. Now it seems you have many more to come.”

“Th-thank you,” she answered as she studied the man that was talking to her. He was a little older than herself, tall and thin, but you could sense that he had a harsh life that left him with powerful muscles despite his slighter build. He was covered in thick furs, and his eyes were a deep amber, with sharp and angular lines. His jet black hair was wild and unkempt, while his long, slender fingers ended with sharp, pointed nails. His smile was tight, not showing teeth, almost like he was unused to smiling.

“No, thank you for giving my pack an opening to bring down one of those creatures,” he stated with a slight bow of his head, his lips parting to reveal sharp teeth of his own. She had a strange, sinking feeling about this scenario.

Looking around, she found the place was even more destroyed than it had been in what she had thought of as a dream, but the summer world was the dream wasn’t it? There were claw marks in the furniture and in the gouges out of the walls. What wasn’t broken before, was now shattered beyond recognition, and a crumpled form was pushed into one corner of the room. The other addition to the mess was a fairly large animal by the door, blood seeping into the floor. “We were on a hunt,” the man explained when he noticed her gaze, “You are welcome to join us, the Breath Stealers are solitary creatures so you may risk a fire to cook it.”

“What is your name?” she asked as her mind caught up with reality once more, if she could get more of the meat off the moose once the wolves were done, she’d be able to smoke it and add that to her rations. But she wasn’t so long removed from civilization to forget her manners.

He turned back to her, giving her a large, gleaming smile full of teeth. “I am Lewis Pine, but most call me Lew, and you are welcome to join our pack as we hunt the lands of green to the south.”

“Autumn, and… I suppose I can’t refuse such a warm invitation.”

As the wolf on her chest turned to lick her cheek in welcome, she heard Lew letting out a deep rumbling laugh. In the moment she was distracted, he had changed from tall and powerful, to a looming pitch black wolf that was a full head over her on the bed. “A human walks with us my pack,” the voice of Lew escaped before he tilted his head back and let out a howl, which was soon joined by several voices, but Autumn remained silent in her confusion.

This was going to be a long journey.


	21. Happily Ever After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [this prompt](http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/161654712722/you-grew-up-on-stories-of-the-brave-hero-who), if this generates any interest, I have a bit more of the story brewing in the back of my head.

Holding the key to free the princess from the room where the vile warmonger had imprisoned her, the valiant knight scaled the tower, metal plates clacking with each labored step. It had been a dire fight, worthy of the same tales that had inspired the knight into becoming a hero in the first place. This was it; this was the culmination of years of hopes and dreams inspired by the stories of old.

Cresting the top of the stairs, the knight pulled off their helmet, letting free a cascade of raven black hair, and revealing bark brown skin kissed by the sun, and marred slightly by scars and a hard life. Hazel eyes caught sight of their reflection in the polished metal of a shield on the wall of the stairs and frowned. A bitter chuckle escaped dry chapped lips as the tired form staggered on upwards. “You’re not the hero she’ll be expecting, are you lass?”

No, she wasn’t, but perhaps they might find their ‘happily ever after’ all the same. She didn’t want for much, daily meals, and all the books she could read. She might ask for a companion to spend time with, but she did not know what she could provide for them. She had grown up as a daughter of a farmer whose mother would tell tales of heroes and damsels in distress, of terrible darkness, and of noble deeds. And they would all end with good winning the day and the two leading characters going on to live happily ever after.

The final door came into sigh, faint light slipping out from under it. The bar across the front was sealed shut by bands of iron bolted into the wall and locked with a solid iron padlock. The set-up didn’t last long once the key was applied, and she could lever the beam out of the way. Opening the door, she gave her best smile, hoping that it was dashing and daring, with a hint of confidence and compassion. “Princess Ariana? I am Lady Isabel and I’m here at the behest of your father to rescue you.”

The Princess looked up from where she was sitting by a fireplace, setting aside her book with a pleasant smile as she rose. Her smooth, flawless skin was a startling contrast to Isabel’s own rough and harrowed look, though hers was a shade or two darker. Her long brown hair flowed out in curls and ringlets as she turned to regard her champion with warm, dark brown eyes. “I am in your debt Lady Knight. When we return to my father’s castle, we shall see to your reward.”

“I think you for your consideration Your Royal Highness, all I ask for is a happily ever after,” Isabel answered while kneeling in a deep bow before the princess, head lowered towards the floor. As she bowed, she missed the expression of Princess Ariana, who went from shocked and surprised, to an almost fond smile.

“Rise Lady Isabel, we shall see about your happily ever after our arrival to my father’s castle,” she answered softly, her cheeks darkening slightly as she held her hand before the knight’s face.

The knight pressed her forehead to the hand in submission before rising and turning towards the door. “My horse awaits us down below Ma’am, you may ride while I walk if you do not wish to ride tandem with me.”

“Tandem would serve well enough Lady Isabel; it is a fair distance to the west where my father’s castle lies.”

Lady Isabel nodded, a hopeful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she led the way downstairs. She was going to get to ride off into the sunset and might even be able to have a Happily Ever After once they got there. This was almost exactly like one of her favorite stories. She couldn’t wait to see what her future might hold; maybe Princess Ariana could even be her friend if she wasn’t busy with her duties as a Princess.

She’d have to make plans to lead some wagons back to reclaim the books from this tower, and probably those weapons, armor, and shields on the walls, and usually there was some sort of dungeon with loot. The King would likely be grateful for her claiming all of that in his name. She might ask for a small satchel to be sent to her family, but she didn’t want to seem greedy.

Little did she know that her Happily Ever After was going to be rather interesting, and if she had turned back to look at the princess, she might have noticed the thoughtful smirk curling on the freed woman’s face and some glimmer of an idea twinkling in her eye. “Thank you for saving me My Champion Lady Isabel, I will see that you are justly rewarded.”


	22. Not so NPC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unimportant NPC character somehow killed his/her first monster and thus gained XP. It started small then became an addiction.

It had been an accident, just a simple misplaced book that caused the whole thing. The book fell over and landed squarely on the head of one of the rats that had been plaguing the city. Nadia never even thought about it as a tiny rush of excitement filled her for a brief moment after the thud caught her ears. After that it was washed away by the disgust of having to clean away rat brains from the book.

But then she began to notice things a little more. She would see a rat, and her hand would drift towards a heavy object to protect her family’s foodstuffs. Her ear would pick up rumors of goblins camping two cities over and her mind would drift to thoughts of sending them scrabbling into the darkness to hide from her.

Try as she might, she couldn’t keep fighting it. So she began to give in bit by bit. Picking up a beaten up training maul from a second hand store, borrowing her dad’s old leather gloves to protect her hands, and taking her mom’s old rusted strainer to use as a helmet; she ventured into the sewers where the rumors were circulating that the rats were the thickest.

When she came out hours later, carrying a pouch full of gold, cheap gems, and a mace from a member of the city militia that had disappeared, she knew she couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. The look of horror and pride mixing in her parents eyes as she sat them down at the table and showed them her loot.

“Mom… Dad…” she began quietly, not meeting their eyes in shame. “I’m an adventurer.”


	23. Chapter 23

A writing prompt taken from [Writing-Prompt-s](http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/167170839285/a-god-fell-in-love-with-a-mortal-woman-i-cannot) on tumblr.  
  
    A god fell in love with a mortal woman. “I cannot bear to live without you,” he told her, “so I will grant you immortality.” So he made her a goddess and took her to dwell with him in the realm of the gods, where she met all the other women he couldn’t bear to live without.  
  
A god fell in love with a mortal woman. “I cannot bear to live without you,” he told her, “so I will grant you immortality.” So he made her a goddess and took her to dwell with him in the realm of the gods, where she met all the other women he couldn’t bear to live without.

* * *

As the dust settled around them from the landing in the gleaming realms of his world, he smiled and held out his subtly glowing hand. “Welcome to my realms, and where you shall have your immortality my precious Luna,” he explained with an impressive sweep of his hand. “Come, let us view your new home.”  
  
Luna looked around in surprise as she found the astonishing rolling fields surrounding the marble and opalescent palace with sweeping vistas, stunning pillars, and exquisite, nearly life-like statues. The gleaming white becoming less painful to her eyes as they adjusted to it. To think only an hour ago, she had been on a date with her boyfriend of six months, when he said he had something important to tell her. It had never occurred to her that it was that he wanted to share eternity with her.  
  
He took her into the depths of the palace, their footsteps echoing off the walls and empty halls. She couldn’t imagine how lonely it must have been for him in this palace all alone. “I still can’t believe that you chose me…” she offered softly as she brushed her long black hair back over her shoulder and finally noticed that she was now wearing something she’d only seen in bad frat boy movies or history novels. “The Toga is nice, but thanks for taking my modern sensibilities into account.”  
  
Sure enough, she was wearing the white draped cloth, but underneath she was afforded what almost looked like a one-piece swimsuit of deep purple with white moons etched into it. “I happen to like the look my dear,” he answered with a little chuckle before leading her to a grand hall, where a feast was waiting for them.  
  
Looking around, she noted that most of the statues sported the same exact outfit that she wore, though the designs underneath ranged from nothing, to a full Victorian style dress top. Apparently he liked the layered look? And they all did look oddly similar to each other, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something strange was going on here. “Come, I have a feast prepared, and we have to be about your immortality.”  
  
“I’m not very hungry, if you don’t want to wait,” she explained while distracted with the strange feeling growing in her guts. Something was seriously off about those statues.  
  
The soft chuckle from the God of Summer Sunshine drew her attention as the food vanished from the room, to leave a simple chess board in the middle of the room. “It is more than fine my dear, I always did love your direct, straight forward methods. But the time is not right, let us pass the time with a game of chess.”  
  
“Is there anything we need to do to prepare for the ceremony?” she asked while the sense of unease solidified into a creeping dread. She hadn’t played chess in ages, and she didn’t really feel like a game at the moment.  
  
“No my dear, but the game is critical. I shall explain when we finish the match.”  
  
“Fine…” she groaned while stepping up to the board, the white pieces appearing in front of her the second that he stepped up to the far side, where the black pieces materialized. She remembered enough that she was to start first as the white player, and moved out a pawn, right before a weight settled over her ankles.  
  
Her head whipped down to stare at the shackle of gleaming light pinning her in place. “Ah, I forgot to mention, one of the rules of godhood is that any game started must be completed, the realm merely binds us both to ensure our completion. Ignore that,” he explained while moving a pawn of his own.  
  
The tightness in her frown hopefully expressed how displeased that he kept that little tidbit of information from her, but she could deal with that. Though she hoped the realm didn’t expect her to win games like Minecraft or something like that. There wasn’t exactly a win condition there. Moving her pieces on her turn, she kept part of her focus on the game, but the gnawing sense of dread that continued to swell was making it hard to devote her full attention. Glancing around the room again, she frowned once more as her eyes drifted to the statues again, which she could almost swear had trails of water forming along the noses of each one.  
  
The similarities she had noticed earlier seemed more apparent with each new one she viewed, from the togas, similar faces, down to a golden anklet on each of their right ankles. “Oh do not mind them, they are just your sisters in immortality. As soon as you lose this game, you shall join them,” the god stated as he captured one of her pawns, coincidentally just as a stiffness spread from her shackle. Looking down, she gasped as she noticed a white stone replacing her skin.  
  
Looking up with betrayal and shock, she could only watch as he waved nonchalantly for her to move. “Immortal and eternally beautiful, forever as you are my dear Luna.”  
  
That’s when she realized, the stakes of this game was far higher than she had ever imagined. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took a moment to study the board properly. “And what if I should win Lumen?”  
  
“Why then, I should be the one eternally beautiful, and you the new Goddess…” he explained as she moved a piece. “But none has yet to rival me at this game.”  
  
Pursing her lips, she let out a heavy breath through her nose, it looked like it was time to dredge up her past skills and win a game. This was far more important than the Internationals, and she hoped that she wasn’t going to crumble like she had then. His next move was matched with an instant response, and the next as well.  
  
She was in the zone, meeting his probing with a safe, calculated response, and slowly gathering his pieces, but at the same time she was losing some of her own. Each piece for either side cost them the use of some part of their body as marble claimed more and more of their flesh.  
  
The finals of the Internationals flashed before her eyes; the moves playing out before her as she repeated her motions from that day, and he responded in kind. There was no banter, no commentary, just the clacking of pieces on the board, or their removal to the side.  
  
But this time it was different, this time instead of moving the Bishop out of threat, she let it be captured to protect her King. And then it was her turn, and she took it. Picking up a pawn that had been ignored for most of the game, she moved it the last step to his side, and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Pawn promotes to Queen, Check and Mate.”  
  
His horrified face as he realized the mistake, the crucial flaw in his defenses was impressive, right up until he flung the board and its table away and surged towards her with arms outstretched. “NO! YOU CANNOT WIN!”  
  
But he never got to her, instead he became a statue, looming over her where she fell from the stone tripping her up. Looking at her legs, she watched as they returned to their normal tanned and supple hues. She had won, and now she was the ruler of the realm.  
  
That was when she heard something new, the cracking of stone, and soft moans of discomfort. Turning back to the statues, she watched as the others escaped from their stone forms, stretching as though stiff from sleeping in a bad position overnight, but otherwise unharmed.  
  
“Impressive, I thought us never to be free of that cursed prison,” one of them explained, walking over with an ethereal grace. “I am Neperian, the first that… creature… tricked into his little game, and the former goddess of the Summer Sunshine, and bountiful harvests. With him defeated, the curse upon the ancient games is broken, and we are free. We are all immortals, and in your debt, Goddess Luna.”  
  
With that Neperian knelt before her in supplication, many of the other girls following suit, though some gave other forms of respectful acknowledgement. As the silence grew, Luna shifted and touched Neperian’s deeply tanned shoulder, bidding her to rise. “Look, I’m not even sure what I’m doing here… could… do Gods do the whole advisor thing some rulers on Earth did?”  
  
“It is your realm, I do not see why you could not,” Neperian offered with a kind, knowing smile.  
  
“Good, so umm… how about we all get some food, and talk about what will be happening in the future?”  
  
“A wise decision, since this many goddesses might make a few pantheons uneasy.”  
  
As those words sank in, she turned to look at her suddenly very large family of divine beings and realized that one curse was broken, and another had taken its place. “Neperian, I think I’d like some advice… now.”


	24. Dimensional Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [this prompt. ](http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/168894616655)Please let me know what you think.

Three days ago, it would have been inconceivable to Laura that other dimensions could exist, then she found herself being flung out of a glowing portal and crashing to the ground. The ten foot drop momentarily knocked the wind from her doppelganger, but also seemed to have broken a small computer she used to track things.

 

Three days of intense work on repairing the little device and it was about ready to reveal just which dimension they were in, and how soon until she would be able to hop between dimensions like her other self. It seemed that they had everything they needed to build the remote unit to open the dimensional rifts, and someone would just have to figure out the main unit to connect it to. The faintly musical chime of the tone filled the air, she found herself smiling across the room as she turned the device so she could see the screen. “I have a connect, now I just have to wait for the sync and I’ll know which dimension this is.”

 

“So, you’re sure it’s fine for me to keep the notes I made on the device? I don’t want you to get in any trouble with any types of authorities or anything,” Laura commented as she picked up the notebook full of images and written notes and waving it slightly.

 

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” she agreed as the loading finished and a voice commented that it was searching for signal. “I mean I was going to a Green Three universe, which are basically tourist traps for dimensions. I don’t know why I was thrown off course, bu-”

 

The color suddenly draining from her face only made the red hue coming from the wrist mounted device all the more telling. Her eyes flicked over to herself, and then down at the notebook in her hands. “Actually… if I could get that back, I think it might be best to not take any chances…”

 

“I take it we’re not as close as you though?” she asked herself, holding out the notebook with a shrug. She had known that it was possible that she wouldn’t be quite ready, but she still felt horrible that she wasn’t allowed to go dimension hopping on her own.

 

Seeing the smile on her face as her hand pulled the notebook away, she knew that there was something more going on than she was telling herself. “Not quite, I’m sure you understand that this is necessary, right?”

 

“Of course, do you want me to leave as well so I don’t spoil anything?”

 

“That’d probably be for the best…”

 

Nodding her head, Laura stood up and made for the doorway to the other room, letting herself prepare for departure. She had just reached the door when a faint whine reached her ears, and she turned just in time to see the barrel of a strange pistol being levelled at her head. “I’m sorry, but you’re a red thirteen… the rules are clear on this. No witnesses. I’m sure you understand...”


End file.
